College of DuPage Nursing Student Andrew Weber shared that a recent study indicates that second-hand smoke exposure in children contributes to childhood obesity as well as poor performance in school. This new study published in 2016 by the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University states that children who are passively exposed to second-hand smoke are more prone to being overweight and poor school performance. The study’s lead author, Dr. Catherine Davis and her team of researchers evaluated 220 overweight children aged 7-11 and found body fat percentages were much higher in children who were passively exposed to cigarette smoke at home compared to those who were not exposed to smoke. The exposure amplified the child’s risk of developing heart disease and diabetes. Children who were exposed to smoke also scored poorer in school and had decreased attention spans and lower grades compared to their peers. The researchers found that the cause of increased weight in the children was primarily due to to smoke exposure and that smoke exposure was not directly tied to incidences of diabetes.